Just like the GP2 race, there were incidents aplenty on the opening lap, notably Nigel Melker using Felipe Guimaraes‘s car as a launchpad at the first turn.

Michael Christensen was hounding Jean-Eric Vergne for the final podium spot in the opening laps, only for the Dane to crash out. With Vergne and Roberto Merhi left to battle for 3rd (which the latter would eventually take) a three way battle for 5th place emerged between Miki Monras, Rio Haryanto and Nico Muller. Monras would eventually break away from the the latter pair, and almost took fourth from Vergne but ran out of laps to try and pass.

James Jakes meanwhile was on a charge – after starting 27th on the grid he picked off drivers one by one, with Tobias Hegewald the only man standing between him and a point, plus pole for Race 2. His persistence paid off, taking the place with only a handful of laps remaining.